President Donald Ramotar on Wednesday welcomed Benny Wenda, a tribal native and independent political leader campaigning for the independence of West Papua.
A Government Information Agency (GINA) report said President Ramotar is the first head of state to meet with Wenda, who was making his second visit to Guyana.
At the time of the meeting, GINA added, he was carrying the flag of West Papua, which it said is an emblem that can land him 25 years in prison if seen by the Indonesian military in West Papua.
Wenda, who was accompanied by his legal adviser Malinda, was quoted as saying that he was grateful for the warm welcome he received. He will be meeting with indigenous persons in this section of the world and parliamentarians during his visit to Guyana.
West Papua, has been subject to Indonesian invasion since 1961, shortly after it gained independence, GINA said. “Intervention by the international community on the matter was subverted by western governments appeasing the Indonesian occupation,” it added. It is now recognised as a province of Indonesia, covering the western peninsula of the island of New Guinea. The territory is bordered to the east by Papua New Guinea, which gained independence from the British in Australia, GINA added, while noting that West Papua has a population of 250 tribes each with their own language and culture.
GINA said in 2004, a ‘Free West Papua’ Campaign based in Oxford, United Kingdom was set up to support the call for democratic and non-violent campaigns for independence. It lobbies politicians and governments, organises public meetings and events, and engages in fundraising to gain support.
In a ‘Free West Papua’ pamphlet, Wenda shared his experiences of being arrested, imprisoned and tortured by Indonesian soldiers and of, as a child, seeing his village bombed by the Indonesian military and his family killed.
